Apparatus for distilling carbonaceous material



W. P. PERRY.

APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23,1913.

1,341,517, Patented May 25,1920;

4 SHEETS-SHEET lw. P. PERRY. APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL.

7 APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, I9I8.

1 ,34 l, 5 1 7. I Patented May 25 1920.

4v SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Flag- W. P. PERRY.

APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, 191B.

1,34 1,5 1 7. nted May 25, 1920.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

62866 as I fizz/6r: 60/ WZZZCaI/L I Z .79

n you. W flw I Y L Wa e W. P. PERRY.

APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING CARBONACEOUS MAT LRIAL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, I9I8.

LMLM'K Patented May 25; 192R,

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM PAGDEN PERRY, 0F LEYTONSTON-E, LONDON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FGR DISTILLING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1920.

Application filed lluly 23, 1918. Serial No. 246,327.

To all-whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM PAGDEN PERRY, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Leytonstone, London, England, have invented certaln new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Distilling arbonaceous Material, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference .to an m proved construction of apparatus 1n' wh1ch a continuous process for the separation of volatile products from solld carbonaceous material suchas peat, shale, coal, wood or the like can be carried on'and is of the type in which distillation is effected by actual contact of hot gas with the material to be distilled.

Essential parts of my 1nvent1on are, a single container or producer retort (wh ch constitutes in itself the: retort containing the matter to be distilled and means for heating such matter), and above the CO zone a plurality of ring shaped areas, free from material next to or in the, Walls of such container, having suitable outlets connected therewith for conducting away the vapors and gases, and in some casesalso. a tube or tubes positioned in the retort and provided with shielded openings along 1ts length for conducting some of the CO from the CO zone through the material at vary ing heights and thence into the vapor plpes thus assisting in the distillation.

The container may be constructed ofany suitable material such as iron, brick or reinforced concrete and may be lined with firebrick or other fireproof material and between the fireproof rnaterialand the wall in the lower part only or all the way up, I prefer to proviide a luting of sand, grit or s1m1- lar material, and such container or producer retort is provided or constructed above the CO zone with a series of superposed spaces or areas formed. in or attached to the wall and completely around thesame, the spaces or areas being so positioned or the wall being so constructed or provided that such spaces or areas are always left free from the material under treatment, such material gradually falling from the top of the retort or container to the ash pit during combustion.

Connected with each space or area is one or more draw ofi' pipes through which the vapors or gases ofv distillation are drawn and by reason of the spaces or areas the Vapors or gases are freely drawn from all around and through the body of material.

lying within the compass of each ring space or areas thus effectually acting upon all the material, and further a blockage of the outlet pipes by the material is obviated.

The dimensions and shape of the contamer may difi'er greatly with the nature of the material to be distilled and the rate at which it is to be supplied with air or with air and steamor with air. and gas and steam. Y

The container is designed for up draft combustion, the draft to be maintained in any case by suction in the vapor pipes and which may be supplemented by pressure of air or steam or both under the grate, or open hearth or in any case under the material.

In order that the clearly understood and readily carried into effect two examples of the same willnow be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which:

' Figure 1 is a vertical section of a-container or producer retort and apparatus invention may be connected therewith andin which the ring area or spaces are formed by ledges p rojecting from the wallof the retort.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of two containers or producer retorts forming part of a line battery of containers or producer retorts. A

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a container or producer retort and-apparatus connected therewith and in which the ring areas or spaces are formed by the wall being formed in reversed stepped formation.

Fig. a similar view to Fig. 1 but showing a tube positioned in the retort to conduct CO from the CO zone to the material at difi'erent heights and thus assist in the distillation.

A is the wall of the container and B is the fireproof lining thereof and C the luting and D, D stoking holes.

The wall A in Fig. 1 is constructed on the inside with ledges or projections E all around and of the same diameter .such ledges E being in number and superposed, the top part being angled to cause the material resting on same to fall due to COIIlbllSlJlOI1' and consequent reduction of the material below whereas in Fig. 3 the projections or ledges E are so to speak inverted and of varying diameters, and in both cases as the material falls'it cannot enter the spaces or areas F below the ledges or projections thus leaving such spaces or areas F free.

At each of these spaces F are ositioned the draw oifpi-pes G, G Gt, G 4 so that by-reason of the spaces or areas-F always being kept clear the gas or vapor from the materialin proximity to each space or area F is drawn freely therefrom and'th'ere can be no blocking-of such dnaw off pipes G. H is the. CO5 zone. I the C 0 zone, and

J J J 3 and J represent the distilling zones at progressive heights and temperatures. 'The draw ofl" pipesG are each provided with a cover K at their ends which can be removed to clear the pipes Grwhenrequired and to abranch L a suction blower or pump M is connected (drawn by any suitable openings S, S supplying air for combustion suitable type of conveyer the material fall-' purposes. Under the grate Q I position a hooded pipe T leading from-a steam supplyand which I employ for supplying steam to the material for the evolution of ammonia and further if the fixed carbon in the charcoal or coke (in the CO and CO zones) is insuflicient, for providing, by combilstion,

enough heat for the evolution of hot producer gas and ammonia, I also affix a gas pipe U leading from a gas main and a gas pipe V leading from the condenser, so as to conduct unconden'sed retorted gas or gas from any source tosupplemen't the free carbon in the material.

The material is fed to each retort by a screwconveyer W running along all the retorts ofthebattery or I may employ any ing into each retort through a hopper X on to a valve Y and into the retort the valve being closable when the retort is sufficiently ,full, and the ash pits R are provided with a conveyer Z for removal of the debris.

The peat or other carbonaceous material is fed into the container by means of the screw conveyer W, the hopper X and the revolving feeding valve Y, the latter in any position preventing either gas escaping or air'entering through the hopper X.

Fromthe grate Q. upward, to a distance of several feet, the conditions obtaining. in the material in the container are the counterpart of the interior of a generator of an ordinary gas producer. Above the grate the-combustion zone D commences where mainly the combination of oxygen and car- R is the ash pit, the.

bon into CO takes place, and the evolution of ammonia from the nitrogen in the material and the hydrogen in the steam and this section H extends as far upward as any free oxygen remains to be combined. Next above this point the carbon dioxid,- in contact with incandescent fuel, is converted into carbon monoxid. At the top of the CO zone I, at which point practically all the CO has been converted into CO, the gas can give up no more oxygen and it now has only heating and transporting effects, grad- -ually, through J J J J and J giving up its heat and lowering its temperature until part of it reaches the top of the material being distilled at J The gas in passing upward through the material, andheating it, separates the volatile constituents and carries them along with it.

The gas and distillates are sucked through outlets G, G G G and G and gasonleaving the 00 zone I is at a comparatively high temperature and the temperature steadily falls until the portion of gas which reachesthe top of the container at J has fallen to nearly the same temperature as the incoming material.

The material after entering the container having descended a short distance in zone J 4 is slightly raised in temperature by the ascending gas, thus causing the separation of the most volatile distillates which are now drawn into the nearest gas exit at G On descending lower the material is further raised in temperature by meeting hotter gas which causes constituents which are less volatile to be separated and they find their way out by the next outlet-G On further descent the material is heated still higher when the still lessvvolatile constituents separate and leave by the nearest outlet G This is repeated step by step untihfiiially, at a point just above the top of the "CO zoneI theleast volatile of the distillates are separated and leave by the lowest outlet G.

The material has now reached a condition similar to charcoal or coke and in this state enters the zone I. There part of it combines with the rising (10 to become CO, while the remainder passes still lower into the zone H there to combine with rising oxygen to become CO and the ammonia has been evolved the ash falls below the grate Q, into the ash pit 'R where it is re moved by the conveyer Z.

I do not confine myself to the number of vapor rings that I have shown in illustrations but in carrying out this invention I. may employ any number of single rings at different heights.

According to the construction shown in Fig. 4 I employ a tube W or tubes positioned in the retort and closed at the top" or constructed arranged or provided with a hood X for preventing entry of the-;-matesaid abutments providing in combination eaner? rial into the tube W The bottom, of the tube W is open and positioned just above the CU zone and the, tube W is provided with shielded outlets Y in its wall positioned with the openings preferably about mid distance between each vapor outlet the tube W running to any desired height in the retort. The CO enters the tube W at the base and passes upward and through the outlets Y into and through the material into the vapor pipes and away from the retorttaking the volatile and other products with it. By this means the 00 instead of being drawn completely through the whole mass of material to the respective outlets is caused to permeate through the material in strata formation as well as passing through the whole body of material the tube W acting as a by pass and insuring a better distribution of the CU through the retort.

What I do claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a distilling apparatus, a vertical container having its inner walls so formed as to provide a series of abutments at different elevations throughout said container,

with the walls of said container gas collect ing spaces, a grate positioned in said container adjacent the lower end thereof, a lining of refractory material on the inner walls of said container above said rate, the walls of said container being provided with openings above said grate adapted to serve as poke holes, means for removing the accumulated gases from said gas collecting spaces, means positioned below said grate for introducing gas and steam into the material to be treated, means to introduce the material into said container, means to remove the residue of material from the container after the same has been treated, and means comprising a vertical tube having downwardly extending outlets positioned Within said container above the grate for introducing gases generated in the material adjacent said grate into the material under treatment at various levels.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM PAGDEN PERRY.

Witnesses:

RICHARD Conn GARDNER, Jnssni MORGAN. 

